The best part about this year was it felt like the musical floodgates opened and all this really great stuff came pouring out.

BEST ALBUM: Outlaw Radio: Compilation Vol. 1 To me, it’s controversial to put a compilation on an all encompassing award. (My review here) But this cd still in my stereo and I like it so much, I bought a few more and sent them out to friends. It gave me gifts of new songs by artists I already know are awesome and introduced me to bands that I had no idea were awesome. Thank you Jashie P. for putting this out there. My favorite album as a whole is Jayke Orvis: It’s All Been Said. Jayke is one of the best our movement has to offer and he brings all his friends with him. More

I happened upon this cd at my favorite used cd shop, Last Vestige’s blues section. Never heard of him but it’s new and it’s put out by Lost Highway. I fell in love in within minutes! He is the love child of old Stax and Motown.

Tell `Em What Your Name Is!, the debut album from Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears is set for release by Lost Highway on March 17. Formed in Austin, TX, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears is an eight-piece, garage-soul ensemble featuring groove-laden guitars, penetrating brass and a fiery frontman who exudes power and attitude. Experiencing the raw energy of Black Joe’s performances, accompanied by The Honeybears’ masterful backing is the equivalent of a kick to the stomach. Their gut-shot style, felt in such songs as “Gunpowder”, “Master Sold My Baby” and “I’m Broke”, draws directly from their classic soul, R&B and blues influences. Inspiration from artists such as Otis Redding and The Bar-Kays, James Brown and Lightning Hopkins are clearly present in their songs and live shows, but Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears inject a full-tilt, unabashedly brash element to this old-school style.Tell `Em What Your Name Is! was produced by Jim Eno of Spoon, and recorded, mostly live in the studio, in Austin, TX.